Give Up The Ghost
by paperbackreader12
Summary: (Two years after chapter one) In a romantic comedy, the right man, the man that the girl loved above all else would come bursting through the door. After a long winded speech about how he was wrong and they were meant to be, the bride would forgive him and they would leave, everything finally right in the world. But unfortunately, Mandy thought, this was not a romantic comedy.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Set sometime after the most recent episode, "Unbecoming an Officer"

Sonny walked out of the bar, his arm looped around a girl he'd met that night. She giggled as they both swayed towards the Uber waiting in the street. Sonny wasn't sure what her name was; he wasn't sure that he even asked. He felt bad for a moment, and then felt better when he reasoned that she didn't know his either. It was just supposed to be fun; something to take both their minds off the real world.

"Where do you live?" She asked, preparing to punch his address in her phone. A car door shut behind him and Sonny smiled at his date. "Where do you want me to live, sugar?"

Sonny heard laughter and the sound of two people, definitely on a date. The cadence of one voice was very familiar.

"Do you want to put it in?" She asked, cocking her head at him inquisitively. The voices behind him got louder and he heard a woman laugh and say, "No, I swear it's true!"

'Lisa', Sonny thought, telling himself not to turn around immediately. He heard Lisa laugh again and a deep male voice say, "You're pulling my leg. No way that happened." The voices got closer as they approached the bar that Sonny and his new friend had just exited. Sonny felt like his heart was in his stomach.

"No, really. You can ask - … Sonny?" Lisa's voice grew louder and stopped just short of Sonny's back, signaling that he could definitely not ignore Lisa on this date, as much as he wanted to.

He turned around and held up a hand in a half hearted attempt at a wave.

"Davis.. Didn't know you were coming here tonight." His date looked at Lisa curiously and then back to him, waiting for an introduction. Lisa gave a strained smile and put out her hand to the girl, saying "Hi I'm Lisa. Sonny and I work together." The girl smiled and shook her hand enthusiastically. "Hi! I'm Allie. We just met." Lisa cocked one judgmental eyebrow at Sonny and he looked away, adjusting his hat.

An awkward moment passed. "And I'm James." Davis jerked to attention and laughed self consciously, placing an arm on his in apology. "I'm so sorry - I'm terrible at introductions. Sonny, this is James."

James stuck his hand out for Sonny to shake and Sonny fought the urge to swat it away like a child. Instead, Sonny grasped it tightly, taking some satisfaction when James' eyes widened at his grip.

"So you're in the Navy with Lisa? Very cool, man. Thank you for all you do." James said, smiling at Lisa. Sonny was annoyed by how nice this man was. Where did she meet this guy, anyway? She worked 24/7 - how did she have the time? He nodded in acknowledgement to James and turned his gaze back to Lisa. Lisa continued to study Sonny's date, reminding him that he was not alone.

He put an arm around Allie's shoulder and she looked at him peculiarly, as if saying "Couldn't you not remember my name two minutes ago?"

"Well we better be on our way. Allie and I were heading out." Lisa broke her awkward stare and nodded, waving at them as James said, "Nice to meet you both." He and Lisa turned towards the bar and began to walk away, Lisa turning back one time to glance at them both.

"So that's the girl, huh?" Allie said, a strangely knowing look in her eyes. Sonny let his arm drop and looked to the ground as he scuffed his shoe back and forth.

"Don't know what you mean, darlin'."

Allie touched his arm lightly and said, "Hey, I may be tipsy as hell but I'm not blind. You're in love with her and she's in love with you but you can't be together. It's written all over your face."

Sonny looked up, stunned that it was so obvious to a complete stranger about their predicament.

"Yeah, I know. Who know the flirty blonde was actually insightful?" She teased.

Sonny chuckled and said, "I don't know. We make sense together, but can't be together in this lifetime. So we're doing our best to move on."

Sonny was startled as he said these words - more than he had divulged to any friend - to a complete stranger. But that was why he could; he knew he would never see her again. His heart felt heavy tonight and he suddenly was no longer in the mood for mindless fun with someone who wasn't Lisa. He looked up and said, "Hey, listen Allie - it's been fun and I don't want you to take this the wrong way -" Sonny stopped as he realized she wasn't paying him any attention.

"Allie?"

Allie looked up from her phone and smiled and then and looked back down, continuing to dial a number in her phone.

"Oh yeah, sorry Sonny. No hard feelings. I knew this wasn't going to happen once all that went down back there." She looked up again and smiled brightly, no sign of animosity in her eyes at all. She turned her attention back to the ringing phone in her hand and said into the speaker, "Hey… Yeah I know I said we wouldn't, but could you - okay, thank you. The Burrow on 2nd. See you soon."

Sonny cocked his head curiously at the call she had made and she sighed. "I have a Lisa too - but his name is Andy. We can't stay away from each other. He probably had plans but I'm selfish enough to call him for a ride and he's stupid enough to listen to me. He's my ride or die - and I happen to be in love with him."

Sonny was shocked that he wasn't upset that a girl he had considered sleeping with 20 minutes ago was now going home with another man and it had happened in a span of 15 seconds. In fact, he felt relieved. Sometimes it was exhausting faking emotions and pretending to have with another woman what he wished he still had with Lisa.

He stuck out his hand and shook hers with much less pressure than he used on James.

"Nice to meet you Allie. I wish you luck. Better luck than mine."

She tilted her head and said, "You're luckier than you think, Sonny. You've found someone that makes you feel this way and most people never do. Sometimes you can't stay away because you're just not meant to."

Sonny whistled and chuckled at how true the words were. "Well damn Allie. If you're this wise after four shots, I can't imagine what you're like sober."

She threw her head back and laughed. "It's funny because I'm almost a therapist. I graduate next week."

Sonny fake grabbed his heart and stumbled backwards. "I almost went home with a shrink? Damn!"

She laughed and said, "Yeah, we stood no chance." She waved to someone behind Sonny and he turned around to see a black SUV pull into the bar parking lot. Allie used two fingers to salute as she smiled at Sonny, starting to head towards the passengers seat of the car. A man in a ball cap met her at her door, opening it before turning to Sonny. Sonny nodded once and turned to walk away before Allie's voice stopped him once more, "Don't let her go home with James - betcha she's waitin' for you right now." Andy closed the door behind and called to Sonny, "She's usually right, man. It's a pain in the ass."

Andy returned to the front seat and they drove away, Allie waving from the passenger seat.

Well, now Sonny had two options. He could call an Uber and go home or he could go back in the bar. Neither option sounded good to him. On one hand, he would be going home to an empty apartment and all he would be thinking about was Lisa on her date.. Lisa leaving with her date.. Lisa going home with her date..

Sonny shook his head, attempting to get the picture of his mind. "Damnit Quinn, get it together." He mumbled, taking his hat off and running a hand through his hair before putting it back on.

The other option meant that he would go back into the bar and give Lisa the satisfaction of knowing that Sonny was now alone and that he'd run off his date. That would be a blow to his ego for sure.. but hey, he'd just been ditched by a girl five minutes ago for her ex boyfriend so his night couldn't get much more humiliating.

Sonny sat on a bench in front of the bar and pulled out his phone, scrolling through his past text messages, attempting to look busy while he decided what he wanted to do.

If he did go in the bar and Lisa did ditch her date (very low odds on this one, she was far too polite), where would that leave them? His apartment? Another one night stand that felt wonderful at the time, but would leave them both with their hearts ripped out in the morning? How was that better than going home now and wallowing alone?

The door beside him opened and a few more people filtered out, some heading towards taxis and some heading towards their cars - but none alone.

Sonny could call one of the boys to come paint the town with him - but he wasn't even feeling up to that. Sonny felt like the sorriest sack of shit ever - he didn't even want to be around himself right now, let alone subject an innocent person to the shit show he called his life.

The door opened again beside him and Sonny watched as James left the bar without Lisa.

"What the hell?" Sonny muttered, watching as James stood five feet in front of him, seemingly calling a ride home.

James answered his phone on the first ring and said, "Yeah, this is James. It's hard to get to - I don't know the name of the bar. It's called The Donkey? No, that's not right. The Churro? No.."

"The Burrow." Sonny piped in before he realized what he was doing. James turned around immediately, and seeing Sonny, turned back around. "It's called the Burrow. Yeah the one on 2nd. Okay, thanks."

"No one ever knows how to get here." Sonny said, trying to clear the awkwardness. James stood facing the other direction for a beat and then turned around.

"That was my Uber. It'll be here shortly." James' friendly tone from earlier was now colder and Sonny raised his eyebrow.

"You're leaving a fine lady in a bar by herself on a Friday night. Hope you've got a good reason." Sonny said, his voice remaining mild. He wasn't sure why he felt like provoking this guy; afterall, his insides were doing gleeful flips because James and Lisa wouldn't be taking their date any further.

James laughed once and looked down at the ground, putting his hands in his pockets before looking back at Sonny.

"Man, you're clueless aren't you?" Sonny felt his heckles rise and he resisted standing up immediately so he could stand eye to eye with this guy. He decided to remain cool; Lisa would murder him if he made a scene with her date.

"Yeah, how so?" He growled, staring intently at James. To James credit, he did not waver under his stare which he had seen happen more times than he could count.

James' angry eyes widened and his expression became one of incredulousness. Looking at the road and then back at Sonny, he walked closer and crossed his arms.

"Sonny, this is my third month dating Lisa. I am falling for her, fast. She is funny, she is smart, and she is drop dead gorgeous."

Sonny held up his hand, stopping James from continuing to twist the knife in further. "Listen cowboy, none of this is news to me. I'm aware." Also, three months?! How had he not known?

James laughed once and continued, "I'm not sure you are. Because if you were, it would be you on that date and not me."

Sonny looked away and clasped his hands together, saying "I'll stop you right there. Lisa and I are just friends. Been that way for years."

"Yeah, I'm no jackass Sonny. I can see how she looks at you and you at her. You think I didn't notice the way she was staring daggers at your date? Or how closed down she became once we were inside? She became a different person."

Sonny looked down and then stood up, fixing his hat before coming face to face with James. He looked around, happy to see it was still just them.

"Listen James, your observations are actually accusations. We work together and if someone got word of what you're implying, our careers would be over."

James softened. "Sonny, I have no intention of burning your lives down. I actually care for Lisa. I think I could love her. But she has this ghost following her around and keeping her from moving on. I realized that fully tonight after meeting you."

He didn't blame James for falling for Lisa. He actually wondered frequently why every man Lisa met didn't puddle at her feet. A car pulled into the parking lot and James waved at his driver before turning back to Sonny.

"All I'm saying is that whatever you guys have going on is ruining both of your lives. You need to figure out how to let eachother go before you're both permanently alone." James let his statement sink in for a few seconds and then turned on his heel and walked towards the car.

He turned around once more and said, "But Sonny listen, I'm not giving up until she calls it. I'm hoping she decides to go all in with me. Man to man, I wanted you to know."

"Good way to show that, hoss - leaving your girl in the bar." Sonny called before he could help himself, his heckles raised.

James opened the door and said over his shoulder, "We both know that she's not my girl, man. But I'm hoping she will be."

James got in his car and drove away and Sonny hoped it was the last time he would see him.

"Damnit." He said, flexing his hands. He desperately wanted to hit something. He was fully aware that James had been 100% correct, and it made him hate the smug bastard even more.

Sonny looked towards the door of the bar. Lisa was in there, alone, probably upset. All of his instincts said to go in and see her. But was James right? Did he need to let her go; give her the clean break she deserved? She was obviously hurting the same way he was. He hadn't realized - he'd assumed she had moved on already.

He'd had a feeling after she was arrested that she was still shaken from their breakup, but she had rebounded after that with such enthusiasm about the job and outwardly appeared fine. Sonny had continued to try and get over her the best way he knew how - avoid and conquer. But he was now realizing that he was selfishly ignoring the root of the problem - the lack of closure.

He still loved her, that was not up for debate. In fact, his love for her may have even grown. Sonny looked towards the door and then back to his phone, trying to decide what to do. Looking up, he decided to do the one thing he could live with. He began to move forward.


	2. Two Years Later

A/N: Hello! So this was not supposed to be multichapter but I couldn't stop. This is set two years after chapter one and sometime after the episode "Unbecoming of an Officer" and Savis breakup. Thank you for the feedback!

**Two Years Later: **

Lisa paced back and forth in the small room located in the back of the courthouse. She could feel herself starting to sweat so she picked up a magazine and began to fan herself.

"I've never seen you this nervous and we've been in countless dodgy situations together." Mandy's voice floated in from behind Lisa and she spun around quickly, relieved to see her friend.

"Is it hot in here to you? It's pretty hot to me." Lisa stated, continuing to fan herself. Mandy chuckled, opening her bag and pulling out a bottle of champagne.

Lisa stopped pacing and put her hands over her heart, saying "And this is why you're my maid of honor". Lisa reached for the champagne as Mandy prepared to pour it into a plastic cup and immediately began to drink from the bottle. Mandy raised her eyebrows, impressed.

"Gotta be honest here, Lisa. I'm getting flashbacks to Puerto Rico last July where you finished the tequila bottle and - " Lisa grimaced and handed her back the bottle. "Okay, okay, okay. Please don't mention that night."

Mandy smiled and leaned against the door, crossing her arms. "Don't get me wrong here, but are you sure you're okay? I know it's normal to be nervous before this type of thing..or so I hear, but I have never seen you this out of sorts." Lisa began pacing again and stopped abruptly, turning to look at Mandy as her words sunk in. She smoothed down her simple white dress and pulled the bodice to the middle, hoping she looked better than she felt.

"No, you're right. I'm being ridiculous. This is just a simple civil ceremony. We've been together for almost two years now. We both knew this was coming."

Mandy's eyes searched Lisa's face. Lisa hated when she did this; when she used her spy skills in an attempt to discern what someone was really thinking.

" 'We both knew this was coming' makes marriage sound like a disease or inevitable demise." Lisa exhaled and laughed at the same time, creating a sound like she was choking.

"I think that's how it's supposed to feel." Lisa said, sinking onto the unforgiving bench lining the wall behind her. "It is permanent after all."

"I don't know, Lisa. I'm not sure you're supposed to feel so trapped." Mandy wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing. She had never been a 'maid of honor' before; honestly Lisa was one of the few girlfriends she had ever had, but she was pretty sure that creating doubts in the bride's mind five minutes before the ceremony was not best practice.

"Look, I'm sorry. I think I'm making your panic worse. I just - I feel - I mean, I want you to know that you're my priority in this thing. James is a nice guy - I really like him for you. But I just want you to know that if you want out, you don't have to go through with this. We can leave."

Lisa stared at the floor and then looked up at Mandy, a small smile beginning on her face. "You're a good friend Mandy."

Mandy sighed and then laughed, saying, "I don't know if James would think that." A ding on her phone alerted Mandy that she had a text message and she automatically checked it. Old CIA habits died hard.

"How's our girl?" It read, Jason Hayes' name at the top. Mandy looked up at Lisa who was staring at her hands like they were foreign objects before texting back, "Puerto Rico, 2019". Three dots appeared in the corner, signaling that Jason was responding. "Exfil?" He responded, causing Mandy to smile. "Stand by", She typed before turning her attention back to Lisa.

Lisa shook her head and said, "It's not you. I feel like this with all, well almost all, of the guys I've been with. I feel the need to bolt before it gets too serious. I mean, James and I have dated seriously for almost two years though I was gone on deployment for a lot of that. When I came back last week, he proposed and I felt like it was time for me to put down some roots. I knew myself well enough to know that I would want to bolt eventually, so we scheduled the courthouse almost immediately."

Mandy nodded, knowing that Lisa was talking just as much to herself as she was to Mandy. Mandy knew the timeline of the relationship; she had been there the entire way. Mandy was sorry that Lisa and Sonny were no longer close, but she wasn't sorry to have gained a friend and close ally in Lisa because of the void Lisa was obviously trying to fill.

"What do you wanna do, Lis?" Mandy asked softly, knowing the answer before Lisa said it. She was as loyal as they came, and if she had given this man her word that she would marry him at the courthouse, Mandy was certain that she would do so, regardless of any true feelings she felt inside.

"I'm sure it'll feel right after we do it." Lisa said, brushing her skirt off once more and standing up. Mandy repressed a sigh, and took a swig from the champagne before corking it and putting it back in her bag.

"Alright lady, let's get you married." Lisa smiled tightly and hugged Mandy. "Thank you for being here."

Mandy hugged her back and cursed Sonny Quinn silently. If he hadn't royally fucked everything up two years ago, she wouldn't be by Lisa's side right now, lying through her teeth as she married the wrong man. But Lisa had made her decision and Mandy needed to respect that, or so she told herself.

Mandy held the bathroom door open as Lisa passed through, continuing to nervously smooth out her dress.

Mandy prayed for a miracle as they walked down the sunny hallway towards the chapel. In a romantic comedy, the right man, the man that the girl loved above all else but had fucked everything up would come bursting through the door. After a long winded speech about how he was wrong and they were meant to be, the bride would forgive him and they would leave, everything finally right in the world.

But unfortunately, Mandy thought, this was not a romantic comedy. Abruptly she heard her phone buzz, a similar sound coming from Lisa's purse that she was now holding. Mandy attempted to hide the smile threatening to creep over her face as they both stopped automatically and Mandy handed Lisa her phone. The words indicating that they were needed ASAP at base for an emergency meeting greeted them both.

Mandy glanced up, thanking whoever was listening. They might not have been in a romantic comedy, but this was some suspiciously good timing.

"I'm so sorry Lisa -" Mandy began, searching her friend's face for disappointment. Lisa looked up, her face clear of any emotion, and replied "Well, duty calls, doesn't it?" Up ahead she saw James turn the corner and head towards them, his brother trailing him. Lisa walked swiftly to meet them, new purpose in her stride as she began explaining the situation. Mandy felt bad for the guy as she watched his face fall. He nodded with resignation and leaned down to kiss Lisa on the cheek.

Mandy could have been seeing things, but she swore she saw Lisa flinch as his lips met her face. Lisa pulled away quickly, apologizing again, and returned to Mandy.

"Let's get the fuck out of this place." She said, her first real smile of the day brightening her face as they ran out of the courthouse and to a waiting taxi.


	3. Chapter 3

On the list of things Sonny expected to see today, Lisa in a white dress and heels was not one of them. He walked towards the building, hands in his pockets and his hat brim low, hopefully hiding his watchful gaze as he observed Mandy and Lisa get out of a taxi and head in as well.

Why was she wearing a white dress? He associated that with weddings, and that do-gooder boy of hers had only proposed last week. Was it only last week? He had lost some time due to his extended bender after Clay had told him.

He knew he had no right to be upset. He had let that particular ship sail two years ago when he chose to let her move forward without him. He would have been lying if he said he had done it purely for her and her future - he knew that both of their careers and paths were simpler without them together. He loved his job too much to give it up and he knew she felt the same way. It was a stalemate, and pretending that it wasn't only delayed the inevitable.

So that night when James had walked out of the bar, Sonny could have walked in and changed everything. Instead, he decided to call Clay, tell him to go find Lisa at the bar but not mention he sent him, and then Sonny went home and killed a six pack in thirty minutes and passed out.

He watched over the next two years as their paths continued to diverge. She continued to bury herself in work more than ever and spent more time on missions unrelated to Bravo and Sonny focused on his boys and his family farm. He reconciled with his dad during the past year, something he was proud of. He and Lisa were still civil; they still shared laughs with the team and he didn't actively avoid her. Well, not completely, not at first. A few months after the bar run in, he started to see James dropping her off for missions. He should have known that guy wasn't lying when he said he wanted Lisa to be his girl.

And now she was. Maybe for good. He was surprised at the panic he felt. He knew the consequences of watching the girl he loved date someone else. He knew that dating led to proposals and proposals led to marriage and marriage led to kids. Somehow, letting Lisa go had never felt like the catalyst for all of that. He pushed it all away and focused one day at a time. Now, it seemed like his brain would no longer compartmentalize.

He swallowed the lump in his throat as he watched Lisa and Mandy disappear into the building, most likely to change out of their suspiciously nice clothes on a Friday afternoon. He slipped in through the door and headed to the briefing room which was empty. He was twenty minutes early for once. He took his usual seat and leaned back, bringing his fingertips together into a peak unconsciously.

He heard the door open and Lisa walked in, alone and dressed in jeans and a black shirt. She looked up from her open file and stopped in her tracks when she saw Sonny.

"Oh, hey Sonny." She smiled briefly and continued to walk to the front of the room. Sonny prided himself on growing as a human over the past two years. Granted, at first he was human wrecking ball and he still had moments of that. But he had repaired the relationship with his father, been a better friend, and hell - he had even attended therapy (though it was mandatory after a horrible mission but he continued to go). More than one friend had commented on Sonny's overall slightly (and occasionally) calmer demeanor - so he wasn't sure why he said what he said next.

"Did you marry the doctor?" Lisa froze with her back turned to him. "What?" She asked, not turning around.

'Too late now', Sonny thought as he leaned forward.

"You were a vision in white today walkin' into work. I've never seen you wear white before."

Lisa whipped around and Sonny was not surprised to see fire building in her eyes. He had seen her direct that look towards others many times - though he had not been a recipient in close to two years.

"I wear white. All the time." She said sharply. Sonny looked down and then back up but stayed sitting.

"So is that a yes? Are you Mr. and Mrs. Hotshot Doctor now?" Lisa stepped closer, breathing deeply. Sonny fought the urge to pull her closer, even from his seated position.

"First of all, why is that your business? Second of all, his name is James! James Johnson. You don't have to state his profession repeatedly. And you haven't asked about him one time since we started dating, so why now?"

Sonny laughed grimly and shook his head. "James Johnson? He sounds like a damn porn star." He knew he sounded childish but he didn't care. He also didn't want her to know that he definitely knew the doctor's last name. His middle name as well. He was pretty sure he had his social security number hidden somewhere, too.

"Oh stop Sonny. You have no room to be jealous." She looked towards the door and assured no one could hear, continued, "We've been over for a long time. Our friendship has been over for a long time."

"Ouch." Sonny said quietly, feeling physical pain at her words. He watched as Lisa flinched and knew it hurt her to say them.

"It was easier to be apart fully then do the whole foot half in and foot half out game we played for so long. You know that. And you know how I felt and how strongly I felt it." Sonny said softly.

"I'm not saying breaking up was wrong; I was the one that initiated it and I know that. But don't be mad at me because I tried to move on." Sonny's ears perked, "Tried? Did you say tried to move on?"

Lisa shook her head, frustrated. "I meant -, I mean, I meant that I did move on. Not tried." Sonny watched as she became flustered which was a rare sight to see. Sonny stood up and moved closer to her. He wasn't sure what was coming over him - why he was being so bold. It was by remaining seated that he had managed to keep his hands to himself. Now he was standing and was in trouble.

"Did you Lisa? Did you marry him? Are you going to?" Lisa backed up as he stepped closer.

"Sonny -" She said, looking towards the door. She was right. The team would start filling the room any minute. He stepped back.

"Just answer me, Lisa. Did you?" He knew his voice sounded like he was begging. He didn't care.

She looked at him, her eyes searching his face.

"You know I didn't, Sonny." She said softly. Sonny's entire body pulsed - his brain felt overloaded.

"Lisa, I - "

"I swear to God, the day that the Virginia Beach weatherman gets a damn thing right, pigs will FLY!" Sonny and Lisa turned abruptly at the sound of Jason entering the room, soaked to the bone. He was busy shaking the water out of his hair and jacket and looking at his shoes, giving Sonny and Lisa time to separate. Sonny went to sit back in his previous seat and Davis turned back around.

Sonny felt like his heart was on fire - was this hope or dread?


End file.
